Skype


 * Jessica Johnson-Wallace, Drew Coleman & Anita Pintimalli**



**__Description of technology__**

Skype is the most popular voice communication in the world with currently more than 350 million registered users (Unuth, 2012). Skype makes speaking to others easy and most of all affordable. Using Skype to call internationally means not having to worry about how expensive your phone bill will be or when your phone voucher will run out. It also provides the extra convenience of being able to see the person you are talking to just by having a webcam.

 You can use Skype not only on a computer but a phone or even a television (Skype, 2012). Skype is affordable because you can make unlimited and totally free calls to anyone anywhere at any time on the condition that the person is using Skype too. This means the person you would like to contact would have to have to be online for you to call them. If there was someone you wanted to contact but they don't have Skype you are still able to use this Web 2.0 technology to call them. Either local or international calls can be made to landline and mobile phones and in return through Skype you are able to receive calls from these phones to your Skype account. This is a great option although it isn't free but is much more reasonably priced than using a traditional landline or mobile to make international calls. This is called Skyping Out and Skyping In (Unuth, 2012). Once you pay more you can use Skype for not only phone calls but also to access WiFi or send text (Skype, 2012). Skype is so popular globally due to the fact that it can be used for several things such as long distance meetings with family and friends; business calls; cheap calling through travel; socialising and what we have focused on specifically within the classroom environment.

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**__Strengths of technology__** -iPad -iPhone -Windows -Mac -Android
 * Skype can be used on multiple applications such as:
 * Not having to be within the room same room as other people
 * Instantaneous communication
 * Quick easy sign up, no complicated forms you need to become a member
 * Designated support system - Skype has its own help system, and they are prompt in providing assistance and feedback
 * Free version allows for peer-to-peer video calling, and group audio calling and chat
 * Skype "Premium" allows for group video calling, as well as landline and mobile calling capabilities (at a small fee)
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Privacy - You can't chat or call someone who you haven't accepted as a friend first

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__Limitations of Technology__**
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Premium version requires purchasing
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Peer-to-peer means that unless both parties have Skype, you can not communicate with anyone
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Privacy - There is always the possibility of someone obtaining your email and adding you on Skype who you do not know
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Network issues - (possibly just RMIT as there have been no other issues in this area) - Computer Lab desktops are unable to communicate with other desktops, but can communicate with the teacher computer and any hardware with the Skype application installed

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__ Examples of classroom applications __**
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Teachers conferencing with each other
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Presenting to other classes
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">talking to children from other schools
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">discovering different types of communication tools
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">guest lecturers (video calls)
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Learning walk
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Communicating with children who are away (holiday, sickness, etc.)

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__Professional use of the application by school educators and administrators__**


 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Free versions of the software can be used to communicate between other Skype users
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">This allows for instantaneous communication between staff members, community members or even staff members of other schools within Australia and around the world
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Skype credits can be purchased and Skype can be used to replace landlines/mobile phones
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Skype credits can be used to send text messages to other mobile phones
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Staff can sign students up, and have a means of communicating with students who are not at school
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Schools can use Skype to assist with learning walks, teachers can be communicating via Skype while moving around the school discussing what they can see
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Group conferencing, the ability to talk to multiple people at once using the free version, or group video calls with the premium version

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__ Links to relevant resources that help to expand our knowledge about this application and its use in school classrooms __**

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Link to the Skype homepage - This is where you can find basic tutorials about how to use Skype, and step by step instructions about how to download and install Skype on your home computer or laptop

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">[|http://skypeintheclassroom.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/lets-build-a-community/#comments]
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Website to connect with other classrooms- This is a good link to help connect teachers and classrooms around the world. Teachers write where they are from and what they would like to Skype about and you can request to Skype with them.

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">__ [|www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/] __
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">50 awesome ways to use skype in the classroom. This website demonstrates how you can take advantage of the power of Skype within your classroom.

[] <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">
 * Skype in the classroom is a free global community that invites teachers to collaborate on classroom projects where they might use Skype, and share skills and inspiration around specific teaching needs.

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__ Example of Skype effectively being used in a classroom __**

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__ PD Plan __**

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__Examples of Skype integrated in the classroom environment__** media type="youtube" key="hDK32AMyhV8" height="315" width="420" align="center"

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">__**Description:**__

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">This video shows how a primary school in America has used Skype to help teach history to primary school aged kids. Within history lessons students are skyping residents of the local nursing home and listening to first hand experiences of what it was like during the war, through different generations and all the experiences they have had.

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">__**Description:**__

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">This video features a teacher from America skyping a classroom in South Korea where her colleague has moved to. The children have been able to talk to each and see what it is like for each other in different schools in different countries. They are writing letters to each other and showing each other when they are receiving them and teaching each other songs and practicing public speaking which is always a great skill to work on.

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<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">__**Example of how to teach Skype in your classroom**__

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__Using Skype in the classroom__** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__Skype ideas for teachers__**
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;"><span class="wiki_link_ext">**Videoconferencing in the Classroom with Skype** . You can video conference with an author of a book that the students have read.
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Video tours** of museums or land marks.
 * 3) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Field trips**. If students aren’t able to participate in a field trip due to factors such as budgetary or distance constraints, use Skype to <span class="wiki_link_ext">bring the field trip into the classroom.
 * 4) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;"><span class="wiki_link_ext">**Using Skype in the languages classroom** . Help students study foreign languages from native speakers.
 * 5) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**After school help**. Use Skype as a tool to provide after school help to students needing extra attention. Tutors, teachers, or librarians can be available at set times in the afternoons for student access.
 * 6) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Interviews**. Whether you have students <span class="wiki_link_ext">conducting interviews  or your class is interviewed, Skype facilitates the interview process. Individual students can interview other teachers or school staff, sending the Skype feed to the classroom for all to watch.
 * 7) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;"><span class="wiki_link_ext">**Helping a classmate join the classroom from home** . If there is a student who is unable to attend school they can join the classroom through Skype.
 * 8) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Connect special needs students**. Students who may have to be out of the classroom due to special needs or IEP requirements don’t have to miss any special events in the classroom with Skype.
 * 9) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Foreign culture lessons**. Skype allows students to see firsthand what people’s homes, schools, clothing, weather, and more looks like. If a festival takes place, Skype can bring it to your classroom too.
 * 10) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Skype a class in a different time zone**. With Skype, the students got to work at the same time and actually see each other, too.
 * 11) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Present a performance**. Whether your class puts on a play, demonstrates a science experiment, or presents the results of a class project, share the fruits of their works with other classes, parents, or other interested people.
 * 12) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Share field trips with others**. If your class goes out for a field trip, see about connecting with parents or other classes to share your classes’ experience.
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Professional development**. Teachers can use Skype to access professional development opportunities, such as watching <span class="wiki_link_ext">conference presentations.
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Share students’ work with parents**. Let parents get a first-hand look at what their children are doing with Skype.
 * 3) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Conference with parents**. Whether a parent has to miss a regular conference or a concern comes up that requires speaking with a parent, Skype can provide an opportunity to <span class="wiki_link_ext">connect with a parent  that may not otherwise be available for a conference.
 * 4) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Collaborate with other teachers**. Who says Skype has to be fun just for the kids? With Skype, <span class="wiki_link_ext">teachers can collaborate  on ideas, projects, and more.
 * 5) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**Receive teaching feedback**. Have an experienced or mentor teacher watch you teach via Skype and receive valuable feedback.

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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">**__ Feedback __** <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">We have created a survey via 'Survey Monkey' which requires our audience to complete a set of questions regarding our presentation. The feedback receieved will help us to reflect on our presentation and dicuss where we could have made changes. <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Please complete our survery below: <span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande",sans-serif;">Thank you! :)

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<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Skype. (2012.) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">About Skype. //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Retrieved on March 25th 2012 from http://about.skype.com
 * __<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Reference List __**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Unuth, N. (2012.) //<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">What is Skype? // //<span style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">An Introduction to The Most Popular VoIP Software and Service. //Retrieved on March 24th from http://voip.about.com/od/voipsoftware/a/whatisskype.htm.

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